and ... What makes it work
There are many topics I want to discuss but I'm going to tell you a bit about how I began, how I learned what worked and what I do today as a result from my experiences.
Many years ago, I fell in love with toy poodles and fast forward...I started rasing them. I couldn't afford to go to the vet for everything. Life was not as expensive back then but I still could not do everything I wanted. I have always done my own docking of tails and removing dew claws. The reason for this is because I did a litter of minpins for my neighbor. She kept a puppy from two different litters. One pup was done at the vet, one by me. She told me that the pup done by me did not have a bald spot on the end of the tail and the dew claws did not grow back deformed. I have seen both of those issues with messed up jobs. I also had a vet dock a tail too short. For these reasons, I do docking myself. An old-school breeder taught me how and it works perfect, no blood, no whimpering really, and back with mom in their cozy bed at home. I can leave tails undocked and natural if anyone requests it. However, all dew claws are removed for health/safety reasons. I have seen too many accidental rips over the years on dew claws. I didn't mean to get off topic but this is the only vetting I do myself now. I used to administer vaccinations (excluding rabies) and dewormer but not anymore. I take all of my adult dogs and their puppies to my vet for everything.
Vet care
Our vet does an annual exam, dental cleaning, their regular booster shot (that can be once a year or once every three years depending on the vaccination), their bordetella vaccination, lepto shot, and rabies shot (once a year or once every three years). If we need an emergency C-section, my vet knows each of my dogs. We have fecal PCR's ran on every litter of puppies before they leave us. If it comes back clear, WE DO NOT DEWORM because there are no worms to kill! No over medicating here! Deworming can activate protozoans and this is definitely not something we want to do. our PCR fecal test also looks for the presence of protozoans. If there are any protozoans found, as puppies can get from stress, the vet treats that (but we haven't had any in years). My vet bill can be very hefty at times! There are weeks that I can drop $1000 - $3000 EVERY week for a month straight. Then there are times my wallet has a break and we don't have any vet needs. I currently pay $199 for a six month supply of flea, tick, and heart worm prevention per dog. As a pet owner, and a groomer, I have no desire to deal with fleas, mites, ticks, and certainly do not want a case of heart worm! Prevention is best but I do not use this year around. I use in the non freezing months (not during mosquito season). We also periodically do heart worm tests on our dogs just to be safe.
Cleaning
Vet care
Our vet does an annual exam, dental cleaning, their regular booster shot (that can be once a year or once every three years depending on the vaccination), their bordetella vaccination, lepto shot, and rabies shot (once a year or once every three years). If we need an emergency C-section, my vet knows each of my dogs. We have fecal PCR's ran on every litter of puppies before they leave us. If it comes back clear, WE DO NOT DEWORM because there are no worms to kill! No over medicating here! Deworming can activate protozoans and this is definitely not something we want to do. our PCR fecal test also looks for the presence of protozoans. If there are any protozoans found, as puppies can get from stress, the vet treats that (but we haven't had any in years). My vet bill can be very hefty at times! There are weeks that I can drop $1000 - $3000 EVERY week for a month straight. Then there are times my wallet has a break and we don't have any vet needs. I currently pay $199 for a six month supply of flea, tick, and heart worm prevention per dog. As a pet owner, and a groomer, I have no desire to deal with fleas, mites, ticks, and certainly do not want a case of heart worm! Prevention is best but I do not use this year around. I use in the non freezing months (not during mosquito season). We also periodically do heart worm tests on our dogs just to be safe.
Cleaning
I go through a lot of cleaning supplies. I use bleach and Odoban for laundry and cleaning all playpen/whelping pens. I keep a spray bottle of diluted Odoban handy for absolutely everything! This works great and it comes in many fragrances as well. Depending on how busy I am and if the dogs spend a lot of time in their playpens, I have many extra large piddle pads that get changed out daily. I do have a lot of laundry but keeping odors down and clean paws is a must! I try to groom my dogs every week to two weeks because they can tangle easily and their hair grows fast! I like to keep them in cute hair cuts and it does take a bit more grooming and maintenance with topknots grown out, faces shaved, sanitary clips and bows in topknots. If left unattended for too long, you have nothing but a mat on top of the head...don't ask me how I know this (eye roll). It seriously doesn't take but a few days for my dogs to make a mess and tangle their hair! They love to play rough, grab each others bows and tug. I even have dogs that have pulled hair and made me think their ear hair quit growing!!! These guys can be crazy but keeping them beautiful is certainly time consuming but fun. I love to groom. I am a retired groomer but love that I get to beautify my own babies! Between my poodles, Maine Coon cats, and English Angora rabbits (all very high maintenance breeds), I don't have time to groom for the public any longer.
I purchase all of my doggy shampoos, conditioners, and facial scrubs through a company called Groomers Choice. It would be easy to use human products but our pH is different than an animal. We have oily skin and our products have alcohol in them. Over use of human soaps on a dog will ultimately dry their skin which will lead to excessive itching. So add all the proper products to the list of supplies and that is another bill that we acquire.
I purchase all of my doggy shampoos, conditioners, and facial scrubs through a company called Groomers Choice. It would be easy to use human products but our pH is different than an animal. We have oily skin and our products have alcohol in them. Over use of human soaps on a dog will ultimately dry their skin which will lead to excessive itching. So add all the proper products to the list of supplies and that is another bill that we acquire.
Bedding and Toys
Let's face it, dogs are like toddlers! They love their cozy beds, chew toys, squeaky toys, special fluffy toys, training treats, etc... They are destructive though! Not all of my dogs are destructive really. I will back up and say SOME are destructive. I have a few of those types that will not stop until they rip that cute, expensive, fluffy toy open just so they can get that noise maker out! You all know what I'm talking about! There always has to be that one OCD dog that can't stand that squeeker inside that toy lol. You find stuffing everywhere and then that little plastic round squeaker laying on the floor with a cute little face looking at you with that "what?" look on their face lol. If this becomes an obsession, guess what's next? They realized how much fun it is to pull stuffing...the fluffy dog bed! Ever wonder why they do this? I can give you the simplest reason. Dogs are smart. You cannot leave them unattended and think they are going to behave. If they are not the center of attention, working, or being loved on, they are board! Tearing up a dog bed is so much fun and it is a stable vice. This more so a problem for large breed dogs but don't for one second think that a little five pound toy poodle can't do it too! I have witnessed it many times. It's only certain dogs though. Some just know better. Yes, there are those who will stick their nose up , turn their head during the mischiefs and you know what's going through their minds (hmphhhh, just wait til mom sees that! not me, I'm the good one).
Keeping up with the bedding, washable piddle pads, trying out new doggy dishes, all sorts of chew treats, toys, and training treats, I have to keep a certain amount of money set back each month for these revolving expenses.
Let's face it, dogs are like toddlers! They love their cozy beds, chew toys, squeaky toys, special fluffy toys, training treats, etc... They are destructive though! Not all of my dogs are destructive really. I will back up and say SOME are destructive. I have a few of those types that will not stop until they rip that cute, expensive, fluffy toy open just so they can get that noise maker out! You all know what I'm talking about! There always has to be that one OCD dog that can't stand that squeeker inside that toy lol. You find stuffing everywhere and then that little plastic round squeaker laying on the floor with a cute little face looking at you with that "what?" look on their face lol. If this becomes an obsession, guess what's next? They realized how much fun it is to pull stuffing...the fluffy dog bed! Ever wonder why they do this? I can give you the simplest reason. Dogs are smart. You cannot leave them unattended and think they are going to behave. If they are not the center of attention, working, or being loved on, they are board! Tearing up a dog bed is so much fun and it is a stable vice. This more so a problem for large breed dogs but don't for one second think that a little five pound toy poodle can't do it too! I have witnessed it many times. It's only certain dogs though. Some just know better. Yes, there are those who will stick their nose up , turn their head during the mischiefs and you know what's going through their minds (hmphhhh, just wait til mom sees that! not me, I'm the good one).
Keeping up with the bedding, washable piddle pads, trying out new doggy dishes, all sorts of chew treats, toys, and training treats, I have to keep a certain amount of money set back each month for these revolving expenses.
Training (potty, obedience, agility, show...)
Training expenses depends on who is doing the work. If it is me, it's usually just my time and treats. However, I have used an awesome trainer that works at Tender Care in Peoria and she is awesome. This is not cheap and I normally do a session so timing is flexible. However, it is awesome and my trainer is very good.
There are many different types of training. Potty training can involve different expenses but mostly it involves your time and patience! You need some things to assist but this depends on each individual person and dog. Examples of things you might need...Crate, bell for the dog to ring on the door, utilizing a playpen and timers, extra cleaning agents for accidents, lots of paper towels, maybe even a carpet shampooer. Treats are extremely important for any kind of training.
Training expenses depends on who is doing the work. If it is me, it's usually just my time and treats. However, I have used an awesome trainer that works at Tender Care in Peoria and she is awesome. This is not cheap and I normally do a session so timing is flexible. However, it is awesome and my trainer is very good.
There are many different types of training. Potty training can involve different expenses but mostly it involves your time and patience! You need some things to assist but this depends on each individual person and dog. Examples of things you might need...Crate, bell for the dog to ring on the door, utilizing a playpen and timers, extra cleaning agents for accidents, lots of paper towels, maybe even a carpet shampooer. Treats are extremely important for any kind of training.
Individual Dog Registration and Testing
Each of our dogs are registered with the AKC (minus one). Every one of our dogs are DNA genetically tested through Embark so we know if they are compatible for breeding. There are certain diseases that can be carried and we make sure we are not reproducing certain risks. There are a few risks that were not ever discussed in the poodle breed when we began breeding and these are ones my veterinarian rolls his eyes at. We do not put much faith into those but the rest are taken very seriously! Going the extra mile to ensure healthy breeding lines is very important to me. However, there is more than just a healthy inside! When we purchase a poodle for our breeding program, there are certain criteria they must meet. I would prefer to raise TOY poodles but there are so many people breeding anything today and they do not care about keeping a purebred dogs looks to meet the AKC standard. For example, there are long legged or short legged poodles. Both are incorrect. Long in the legs usually means a Miniature. You have to stack your dog. Stacking is setting them in a position that they are shown in. The legs are pulled back behind them, tail lifted erect, chin held up and then you measure the withers/shoulders to the floor. Ten inches is the tallest they can be for a toy. Now, take that spot at the base of the neck on the shoulders and measure it to the beginning of the base of tail. Those two numbers should be the same. This is what is called square conformation. If the back is longer than the legs, they look like a weiner dog and very disproportionate. Sadly, breeders just don't care about this and it has made it very difficult to have nice looking poodles that stay within the toy size. When I began breeding, I had a mentor who told me that I needed to decide if I wanted to breed teacups or show dogs. I wanted both. Teacups just meant small. There is no such thing, they are small toys. However, I wanted perfection in looks of a show dog. There was one exception to my desires though. I didn't want an oversized toy or real long muzzle. I love the look of the baby doll face but perfectly square body. I hope this makes sense. So this is what I base my looks on as I still love this today.
In order to find this look, a breeder will spend thousands of dollars that either is a waste because the breeder flat out lies to make a sale, or they just honestly do not know their lines. With a trained eye, you can pick out some of these aspects at a young age. I can look at toy poodles posted for sale in the internet and I just know by the photo, they are not toys, they are miniatures! There is no point in me reaching out to them to hear lies. I personally don't know how a toy poodle can be over eight pounds in weigh full grown and under ten inches tall (and square). Something is either disproportionate or you have an obese dog. I will be the first to tell you that I cannot guarantee weight or height. No one can. However, if you know the parent dogs are over ten inches tall, their puppies will very likely be as well. If the parents are around the eight pound range or bigger, they are not going to be toy size. These are just facts. Look at the muzzles of puppies. A three pound puppy at six weeks old is not a small toy. You will be lucky if it is a toy at all when grown. The best way to guess a size and this is a GUESS, double the weight at twelve weeks. At ten weeks, multiply by two and add a half a pound. I have tried taking an eight week old puppy's weight and multiplying by three and a size week olds weight multiplied by four. The younger, the more inaccurate the weight guess will be. These are just tips that hopefully help others. You have to take this with a grain of salt though. I say this because I have four pound moms give birth to huge puppies sometimes. Unfortunately my homemade food packs a punch to puppies! This makes it impossible to know what pups weights will be in order to get a size guess. There are just so many factors to consider.
In order to find this look, a breeder will spend thousands of dollars that either is a waste because the breeder flat out lies to make a sale, or they just honestly do not know their lines. With a trained eye, you can pick out some of these aspects at a young age. I can look at toy poodles posted for sale in the internet and I just know by the photo, they are not toys, they are miniatures! There is no point in me reaching out to them to hear lies. I personally don't know how a toy poodle can be over eight pounds in weigh full grown and under ten inches tall (and square). Something is either disproportionate or you have an obese dog. I will be the first to tell you that I cannot guarantee weight or height. No one can. However, if you know the parent dogs are over ten inches tall, their puppies will very likely be as well. If the parents are around the eight pound range or bigger, they are not going to be toy size. These are just facts. Look at the muzzles of puppies. A three pound puppy at six weeks old is not a small toy. You will be lucky if it is a toy at all when grown. The best way to guess a size and this is a GUESS, double the weight at twelve weeks. At ten weeks, multiply by two and add a half a pound. I have tried taking an eight week old puppy's weight and multiplying by three and a size week olds weight multiplied by four. The younger, the more inaccurate the weight guess will be. These are just tips that hopefully help others. You have to take this with a grain of salt though. I say this because I have four pound moms give birth to huge puppies sometimes. Unfortunately my homemade food packs a punch to puppies! This makes it impossible to know what pups weights will be in order to get a size guess. There are just so many factors to consider.
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